Son of expat Kiwi motorsport legend Rod, Rhys ‘Mad Skills’ Millen will fly a 500hp (373kW) all-wheel-drive Veloster in Red Bull colours in the Summer X Games during this year’s US Rallycross Series.

“This new Veloster is a perfect fit for rallycross,” said the Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai New Zealand, Tom Ruddenklau.

“It’s all about fun, excitement and performance.”

“As an entirely new model in the Hyundai lineup, the 2012 Veloster is a playful, fun-to-drive car and thanks to Rhys Millen and his team we’re excited to introduce it to racing fans ahead of its planned launch.”

It’s intended that some of the performance breeding from the Veloster rallycross program will have a role in the development of future models.“We are very much looking forward to landing the Veloster in New Zealand – fans here will be amazed,” promised Mr Ruddenklau.